Harry, still pale from fear and the experience, looked at the centaur in bewilderment.
"What did you save me from?" - He asked, his voice trembling.
Apparently not recognizing the danger in it, immediately focused back on Harry.
"From a monster."
"Unicorn blood," he continued, his voice full of bitterness, "it is a powerful magic, and many are eager to get their hands on it. It gives life, but the price for it is enormous. Do you understand what that means? There are those who want to live forever, but they don't realize that there is a price to pay. The one who drinks unicorn blood gets a reprieve from death, but is cursed to suffer forever. And the longer he drinks, the more cursed he becomes."
The centaur's voice trembled.
"And someone was willing to kill for it. He came here to get it. And if he feels you can stop him too... he will stop at nothing, nothing." The centaur looked at Harry with sympathy and concern, worry for the boy's life read in his eyes.
"What kind of monster has such a wish? One who fears death, boy. One who would do anything to cheat his fate. It is a desire that torments the souls of those who find no peace in death and are willing to do anything crazy for the sake of eternal life."
His voice sounded muffled and sad, as if this was not the first time he had seen such a thing.
"But believe me, boy, no life is worth paying for with the blood of innocents. And certainly not innocent unicorns."
His eyes seemed to look through Harry, seeing something beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
Harry, listening to the centaur's words, suddenly turned even paler, as if he had been visited by a terrible revelation.
"Voldemort," he whispered, and the name came like a ghostly whisper through the silence of the night. It seemed to swallow up everything that had gone before, making the situation even more eerie and inexplicable. That name was the answer to all his questions, and at the same time, it was the confirmation of his worst fears. It echoed through the forest, as if summoning the spirit of darkness they were talking about.
No sooner had Itachi recovered from the shock of Harry's utterance of the name
"Voldemort"
Hagrid appeared from behind the trees, accompanied by the rest of the students. The forest ranger's face was full of worry, and he looked confused and frightened as usual. His gaze darted between Harry, the centaur, and finally settled on Itachi. At that moment, Itachi felt his control of himself return as if at the snap of his fingers. The shock disappeared giving way to cold calculation and calm. He knew perfectly well that he needed to analyze the situation, and not give in to his feelings.
Hagrid, flustered and worried, quickly pushed the students towards the exit of the forest, urging them to return to the castle immediately. He looked around as if fearing that the dark figure might reappear. He didn't utter a word about what he had heard, but the tension that hung in the air was quite palpable. They all walked silently down the narrow path, trying to leave this cursed place as quickly as possible.
Soon, they reached the castle, and without any further ado, they dispersed to their faculty rooms. Itachi felt that the tension was not subsiding, and he was overwhelmed by conflicting feelings that were tearing him up inside.
When the two of them were alone, on their way to their dormitories, Malfoy decided to strike up a conversation, breaking the silence that had bound them the entire way.
"What a night, eh, Uchiha? - He began, but his voice didn't sound as confident as it usually did. - What was that thing in the first place? Did you see that creature? That... that nightmare?" He shrugged, as if trying to banish it from his mind, and looked at Itachi, frowning slightly.
Malfoy was silent for a second, then looked at Itachi again, with defiance and a slight sneer in his eyes.
"Or maybe the Uchiha was scared?" - He asked with a sneer, as if trying to regain his confidence.
"Something doesn't sound like you're surprised." He waited for Itachi to react somehow, to say something in response.
Itachi, however, looked at Malfoy and replied nonchalantly
"It wasn't my scream that went all over the forest, Malfoy." He said it evenly, with the same cold impassivity as always. He didn't make excuses, but, his words were like being pricked with an icy needle.
Malfoy's face changed immediately. The smugness disappeared and a slight blush covered his cheeks and his gaze raced in different directions. He obviously felt like he'd gaffed something wrong and didn't know what to say back.
"Well, of course I..." he began, stammering, "I wasn't... I was just kidding. Well... it's all about that awful day. I don't think it's worth paying attention to. Just... a joke."
Embarrassment flickered through him, as it always did, betraying his awkwardness and confusion.
Clearly embarrassed by his blunder, he hurriedly changed the subject, trying to steer the conversation in a more favorable direction.
"By the way, Uchiha," he said, trying to put a nonchalant tone to his voice
"And what were you doing in the corridors so late at night?" He cast a penetrating glance at Itachi, as if waiting for an answer, expecting that at least here he would be able to corner the Uchiha.
"Did you really go out like we did? Or did you, uh, have your own thing going on?" He was silent for a moment, waiting for an answer.
But not waiting for an answer, Malfoy continued, already with a different intonation, but with the same insistent curiosity
"And another thing," he said, a touch of admiration in his voice, besides curiosity.
"How do you always manage to be so calm? Even in the face of such terrifying monsters, you remain unfazed, as if it means nothing. How do you do it?"
He looked at Itachi as if seeing him for the first time, studying every feature of his face, trying to figure out what his secret was. A note of respect flashed in Malfoy's voice, mixed with surprise, and even, some envy.
Itachi, watching Malfoy, noticed how the usually arrogant Slytherin suddenly reminded him of a child. A child, as he was in essence, but apparently deprived of that childlike directness because of the strictness of his parents and the constant pressure he had been under since childhood. Itachi's soul, unexpectedly for himself, felt a slight pity for Draco. He realized that this boy, despite all his hubris and arrogance, also suffered, he just did it in his own way.
For the first time since they had known each other, Itachi felt something resembling sympathy for his adversary. He decided to satisfy his last question, perhaps to ease the growing tension between them in some way.
"Malfoy," Itachi began calmly, and his voice was even and devoid of any irony.
"Fear is just an emotion. Just like joy or anger. It arises when we feel threatened. But if you let it control you, you can't act rationally. I have learned to control my emotions, so I can remain calm in any situation. That doesn't mean I don't feel anything, only that I don't let my emotions stop me from thinking."
He looked at Malfoy, there was no mockery in his gaze
"But I think you can learn to do that too, if you want to."
Malfoy, for a moment, froze.
His words hung in the air, as if frozen in anticipation.
Itachi, noticing this barely perceptible pause, simply looked at him questioningly, not taking his gaze away. That was enough.
Malfoy, as if waking up from a trance, shook his head as if shaking off an obsession. And, with the same characteristic insolence of his, he said
"Of course I can. Who better than me to control my emotions? I, Malfoy, always know what to do."
He spoke with a confidence that, however, was frankly strained. There was some underlying insecurity in his voice, but he tried his best to hide it. Itachi, almost unable to believe his eyes, saw a barely perceptible, but still, smile on Malfoy's face. And despite its fleeting nature, it seemed to him the brightest, most sincere smile he had ever seen on Malfoy's face. It was a quick flash, but in Itachi's mind it remained imprinted.
It wasn't long before they reached their rooms. Itachi was about ready to say goodbye and just go inside, when suddenly Malfoy, as if reading his mind, turned to him and said, with some awkward politeness
"Good night, Uchiha." He said it quietly, almost in a whisper, and before Itachi could respond in any way, he had already disappeared behind his bedroom door.
Itachi stood there for a moment, utterly confused. He had no way of understanding what had just happened.
Malfoy, that arrogant Slytherin, had said goodnight to him? It was so unexpected that Itachi felt somewhat confused. He shook his head as if trying to banish an obsession and finally entered his room.
One thing he was sure of was that this night would be one he would remember for a long time.
P.s..
I didn't know how to flesh out a walk through the forbidden forest, so instead of action scenes and reinventing the bicycle, I decided to develop the relationship between the characters and next chapter will be on behalf of other characters, and I assure you it will not disappoint you.
If you have any ideas, please share them.
The next chapter will be out... in about 3 days? Maybe sooner.